May 3-6, 2015
Rancho Palos Verdes, CaliforniaThis May, agency leaders will converge
to discuss the latest tools, tactics, and strategies for finding the right balance
between experience and experimentation.Summit Info

"Kung Fu Hustle", an action-packed and comedic martial-arts adventure, was praised by critics as "movie kinetics genius." From its imaginative kung fu showdowns to its memorable dance sequences, the film quickly developed a cult following. Now, for its release on DVD and PSP from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, the agency aimed to develop an online ad campaign that packed as much punch as the film itself.

Sony Pictures Digital turned to EyeWonder and its new movers and shakers video features to kick out the stops for these online ads. This feature enables advertisers to better attract and engage audiences by unleashing video from fixed, predefined windows within ad units. In the finished "Kung Fu Hustle" expandable ads, the video spins out of the banner upon rollover and expands to its full eye-catching cinematic aspect ratio. When the viewer rolls off the video, it spins and contracts back to its original position within the banner, instantly and elegantly. The result is a perfect marriage of ad content, form and function -- it's as if the feature was designed specifically for this campaign.

The data from the campaign is still coming in, but the success of the ad unit is already clear. Bladimiar Norman at Sony Pictures Digital calls it "one of the coolest units we have done yet" and so far the viewer interaction rates are exceptional. This is an online video ad campaign that truly packs a punch!-- Jason Scheidt, director of marketing, EyeWonder, Inc.

Editor's Note

Creative Showcase is meant to be a teaching tool and an inspiration for our readers. We comment only on creative that we really love. Our panelists discuss what makes it great, but if they feel there were missed opportunities that would have made it better, we invite them to mention those. And finally, we seek out a wide range of opinions that reflect the marketplace for the panel, in order to provide constructive, useable feedback for agencies, clients and others involved in these creative pieces.

The Panel

This ad for the DVD/PSP release of KUNG FU HUSTLE is, at first glance, no different than any other in-page video ad I've seen. Before I get into the video aspect of the ad, I'd like to first focus on the creative execution. The ad itself, in its initial state, is a little too cluttered for my liking. To borrow from the Jerky Boys, "My eyes, they were going crazy." Lots of messaging and assets were competing for my attention, which made it hard to focus on the video. The release date should have been more prominent as well, because ultimately, that is the key messaging here. It just doesn't stand out.

But onto the video...I definitely liked the concept of the video's spinning expansion when interacted with. It definitely fit in with the crazy, slapstick choreography of the film. However, and I'm sure it may have been the only spot available, the video should have told me something that the ad itself didn't. Maybe it should have explored the DVD's special features or exclusives? What I'm getting at is that the video, a :15 spot, did not work with the rest of the ad to make a stronger selling proposition. It seemed to be in there to be in there. As a marketer, I demand more, and as a consumer I need more. Unfortunately, we're normally locked into using already completed :15/:30 spots in these ads...I'll use this as a platform for requesting more content for ads like this, so we can truly recognize their true potential. Also, when viewed in Firefox, for some reason, the quality of the video was significantly worse, which was rather disappointing.

I'm a member of the key audience for this product, as this is a film that I wanted to see, but did not get a chance to see in theaters. Now available on DVD & PSP, this just did not complete the sell for me that started with the theatrical release. I give it two out of five Yuen Wo Pings.-- Ian Schafer, CEO, Deep Focus

Footnote:
Submissions are judged by a panel of industry experts from and based on the following criteria: how the creative captures the specific customer; how it meets the brand's business needs; impact of execution; and creativity. If you would like your creative considered for Creative Showcase, send an email to creative@imediaconnection.com.